Wii Got a Problem
After Wii saw the cousins and their new Wii in action, and Wii did a little math Wii discovered that Wii could pool all our Christmas cash for the hottest toy of the season. Until …
Writing from 2007
Staff Snowball Fight
Don't send a lame Holiday eCard . Try JibJab Sendables !…
Logan and the Sky Angel
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The Christmas Conspiracy
The Christmas Conspiracy It began as most conspiracies do with a high level official seeing an opportunity for a power grab. While the king was distracted with foreign affairs, he …
Dose of Disney
here is a link to a time lapse video of the Ginger Bread House at the Grand Floridian under Construction.…
The Real Reason
Conspiracy theorists everywhere now agree that the recent scrubbing of the NASA launch of the space Shuttle Atlantis was not sensors as widely purported, but an obvious attack by g…
Saturday Night Trip to the ATM
Tonight we are having a special "preview" of our upcoming Saturday night Current Worship Service. I am not sure what to expect other than the unexpected. The festivities begin at 6…
Ask Seek Knock
I got an email this morning from a guy nammed Luke. He had some difficult passages that he wanted answers to, and I believe he really is sincerely seeking. Pray with me for Him tha…
Hanukkah Ham
You can't make these things up. Happy Hanukkah…
Soul Winning
· I grew up in a tradition of soul winners. We would go soul winning every Thursday night and Saturday. Sometimes we would go and stand in front of the movie theater and pass out p…
Road Runners Beware!
Last week I spotted a Coyote taking a nap along US 27 just north of Ronald Reagan PKWY, and had a few good conversations at the barber shop about it. I have heard that they were ar…
Christmas Under Repair
This Christmas it seems that we will be fixing things that we got previous Christmas seasons. I guess that goes to show that the more stuff you have, the more stuff has you. Right …
Joel Osteen's Most Unfortunate Compliment
Due to the same first name, I am often compared to Joel. I have mixed feeling about him, and have friends I highly respect who have met with him and spoke well of him. Today he is …
Dose of Disney
John Pinette - Disney in August…
Those Crazy Classics
Not only did we have a record crowd attending our classic service, but we also had quite an exciting time. The excitement came just minutes into my message when people began raisin…
Philosophy of Football
The Dolphins are stuck in a tuna net, the Hurricanes blew it, the Gators got swamped, I have reservations about the Seminoles, and USF turned out to be a bunch of bulls. So who doe…
Me being Thankful
Here is my new neice Pressley happiy asleep in my arms. Now that I think about it I have an uncanny ability to put people to sleep. Maybe it is my spiritual gift! My dad is out in …
Fieldmarshal
So my brother Justin had a link to the Myers Briggs Personality test over at his new blog , and it has provided hours of fun for our family as we look at the deeper confines of our…
HuckChuckFacts
Okay, so I am beginning to become a Huckster or whatever a Huckabee supporter will be know as.…
Thanksgiving Potpurri
GREAT FALL - We had a record day yesterday at church with the highest fall attendance on record. The best I can tell is that we are quickly filling up the space created by adding t…
Lost Dog
I got a myspace friend request from this lost dog. Apparently she went missing near Bimini Bay along US 27. Shoot me an email if she looks familiar.…
Open Source Education
Wednesday at our Reproducing Churches meeting, we had a great discussion about how continuing education will morph to meet today's ministry needs. Some of the discussion centered o…
This Sunday's Intro Video
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Disney's Dust
I know many of you cast members are glad that you work at Disney World and not Disney Land, and I am sure this NEVER happens here. from MiceAge.com Speaking of vandalism, there's b…
Tooth Fairy
Well, I'm no tooth fairy, nor much of a dentist, but I did get this one out for Andrew. I think he looks quite handsome, don't you?…
Boom Goes the Dynamite
This is how just about every pastor feels on any given Sunday.…
Counting Blessings
I thought I would take a moment and count a few ble ssings publicly... 1. I am so thankful for God and His word. ( I know pastorally it is what you expect at the top of the list, b…
Trunk or Treat Photos
Terry just sent me the first batch of photos from the Trunk or treat. Here is the link. Enjoy.…
Daylight waiting time
Daylight savings time is an extra hour of sleep for most people, but for me it is an extra hour of waiting for church to start. I know I can spend more time in prayer and look over…
Time Change
Don't forget to set your alarms for 2:00 a.m. tomorrow morning in order to fall back. If not you will be one hour early for church :) All that being said, I would love to have some…
What a Treat!
We had a great night at our Trunk or Treat tonight. Over 300 came out and 40 families asked to receive more information about the church. I was so proud of our church folks, and th…
Confession
I have a confession to make. Until 12 hours before our Trunk or Treat, I had no idea what I was going to dress up as. I announced Sunday that I was going to decorate my car as a gh…
I Give Hope
This year we will be receiving a Christmas Offering that I am very excited about. Our offering will be going to the students of the Hope Center in Nairobi Kenya. If we are able to …
Trunk or Treat
Today we delivered 3,000+ invitations to Trunk or Treat event. It is our hope that the children of Four Corners will have a safe and fun place to do their trick or treating. Let me…
Name Change at Disney's MGM
The Orlando Sentinel has an article out today announcing that Disney will change the name of the MGM park beginning January 2008. You can read the article here. I must admit that M…
World's Laziest Mom
Been very busy with some cool stuff that I will post on later, but thought this might encourage you to exercise a bit when you have no other options.…
Celebration High School Bus Crash Heroes
40 Students were on the bus when the driver had a seizure. Story Here…
Weather Whiners (Brad Stine)
I really thought this was a great video for the first cool Friday of the fall. It has to be in the low 70's here. Brrr...…
Stranger Danger
Our church is crazy about keeping kids safe. I think we are the only church in the area who requires secure check in with photo ID for our kid's zone so it was disturbing last nigh…
Posner takes the lead
The Posner development is fast approaching full throttle and it is encouraging to dream of the possibility of driving 5 minutes to Target instead of the 35 we do now. Also a second…
My Tribe
I got a chance to hang out with my tribe yesterday in St. Pete. Joe Murray, our church planter in Harmony picked me up and we rode together. I am so excited about what God is doing…
Pressley Chapman
I think she looks like her daddy!…
Uncle Joel
On a personal note, I became an uncle again yesterday. My youngest sister Jessica gave birth to little Pressley Chapman at 7 pounds 5 ounces and has a full head of brown/auburn hai…
Church News
We usually don't use this blog for internal news, but I wanted everyone to pray for Suzie Holland and Maureen Wray as they were in a car accident on US 27 after church today. Mo ha…
Bono on Worship Music
My fellow blogger and pastor Bob Franquiz has this great quote from U2's Bono. “All music is worship. It could be worship of self, of women, of God, but it’s all worship."…
Of life and Roller Coasters
What is your favorite part of the roller coaster experience. Most of us enjoy the entire ride, except for the sudden jolt of the stop at the end which we can make a metaphor for de…
Afraid of Ghosts?
October is just around the corner and it seems that Halloween will be just as big this year if not bigger than last. I have been thinking a lot of what we fear in preparation for a…
Interesting Photo
Here is an interesting photo of an elderly catholic nun being frisked by a Muslim Airport Security Guard. It just screamed irony and absurdity to me.…
The Present/Future of Four Corners
Last night the Four Corners Area Council met to discuss the future of our area. Here is the Orlando Sentinel article.…
Jonathan Who?
I love being on the front lines of ministry. Since Cornerstone began just over 5 years ago we have seen God do some remarkable transformations in the life of ordinary people in our…
So much to celebrate
We have so much to be thankful for at Cornerstone. God has truly blessed our church over the past few years but right now it seems that we are hitting the summit of a large mountai…
Kathy Griffin
I know many of you were angry about recent comments made by comedian Kathy Griffin, FOX News' Lauren Green's rebuttle is nothing short of amazing.…
My garage is always a mess
My wife is an excellent housekeeper and has taught me and our kids to take great care of our house. For instance every bed is made and rooms are cleaned before leaving for school a…
Postcards
Well, our post office is amazingly efficient and managed to deliver our postcards in just 1 day. unfortunately it has led to several questions. Yes, we are going to be on our new s…
Michael Vick and the Fantasy Draft
Well, Sunday is the draft for our fantasy football league. Last year I got to pick 12th so it can't get worse. Just to put it in perspective my star player last year was none other…
This Sunday
I am so excited about this coming Sunday. We are doing the soft opening of our new classic worship service, kicking off a new message series, and I will be starting my own Bible Fe…
Finding Jesus
I was watching Miami Ink over the weekend as a woman got a tattoo. The artist posed a all intriguing question that we must consider. "Why do people wait until they *!@#% up their l…
What was that?
Sometimes pastors wonder how well they communicated the message. Many times we go home on Sundays feeling like this is how we did. Enjoy your Monday morning!…
Just call me coach
Every year our church sponsors Ridge Youth Soccer. Last year I coached my son's Under 6 team and really loved it. I don't know a lick about soccer except for that the ball with the…
The Time of My Life!
Life is a clock. Clocks measure on the small daily scale but in reality, the same principle can be applied to life. The Bible teaches that our life is like a vapor that appears for…
Blahg
The blog has been quiet recently. It seems that ever since coming back from vacation last month, that blogging became a chore. I love to communicate with people and blogging is a t…
Internet Crash News Broadcast
I thought this was hilarious and wanted to share it with you. Happy Friday.…
Missional Fatigue
I read this from Ed Crepes today and thought it applied to us at Cornerstone. What are your thoughts? When I visit casual contemporary and traditional churches these days I’m meeti…
Music to my ears!
I am so excited about our opportunity to shift the style of the early service to reach out to those who love the classics. In just two Sundays we will be offering the classic servi…
This Sunday
I am excited to be back in the saddle this Sunday at Cornerstone. While we were gone I missed a Wednesday Prayer and Bible Study and all of Sunday Morning. We will begin a new mess…
When the machines take over the world
We have all seen the sci-fi movies where computers and robots end up taking over the world. I am here to say that if it ever takes place that I will be your hero. Single handedly I…
Bible Fellowship
We are moving all of our present Bible Fellowship Tables to meet at 9:30 on Sunday mornings. This is partly to improve timing for the Classic Service, as well as a way for us to em…
Not much blogging lately...
CRASHing back from vacation is a scary thing for me. I usually cannot really vacate because of the heavy load of things that can pile up in a week added to the things already on th…
Back from Vacation
Last week we spent time with family in the mountains of NC. My sister and her husband live in the smokies and we had to drive our van literally through a creek to get to their hous…
Drunk
The Smoking Gun has a great wacky Friday Florida story, where Amanda Lynn Bailey, a 41 year old Florida woman, was arrested early yesterday on a drunk driving charge, her second DU…
Classic
Five years ago we began Cornerstone with the young family in mind. We designed our worship services around young Disney families. Since then we have been continually burdened to re…
Hidden Mickey Pumpkin
Hey cast members, have any of you been to Epcot's secret garden? Here is a picture of a Mickey Mouse Shaped pumpkin that they grow and the link to their website . Answer me this, i…
Joel made me eat a live iguana
So last Sunday I said in my message that we all need to live like pregnant women in reference to the immanent return of Christ. However, this is one exception. Today I read this in…
Commune
Tonight at Cornerstone we will be having a special communion service. There will be testimonies, lots of music followed by a time to receive the elements. Spend some time today pre…
Christmas Wish in July
I saw these online tonight and just have to get a pair. I guess if I saved a dollar a week for two years then I can run barefoot and free for the rest of my life since my feet have…
Super Sunday
We are working hard this week in preparation for one of the biggest weekends Cornerstone has ever seen. We will be combining both the services into one super service followed by di…
So the police knock on my door at 10 p.m.
Actually it was 10:10 and I had already given up on the rerun of Friends where Chandler proposes at about 9:45 and was well into my REM. When the door bell rings that late at night…
When did Macaroni become pasta?
I receive an email subscription from this guy and he poses the question about when macaroni became pasta. What a great question. While eating at TGI Fridays a couple of months ago …
John Deere Green
Andrew got a new room for his birthday. Turning 6 means that the hand painted dinosaurs on the wall were covered with hand painted tan. Thanks to Uncle Mike for the all the John De…
Sleepers RSV
Well, yesterday's post on sleepers created no little email storm of opinion. First, let me clarify that none of the aforementioned people were sleeping this Sunday, but they did ha…
I love people who sleep in church
From time to time some people do fall asleep during my message on Sunday. Every pastor has to face the fact that it will happen and get over the distraction of totally boring some …
What do you do when you are in a valley?
I love to watch survival shows on Discovery channel. My favorite was Survivorman, a Canadian guy who would lose himself somewhere and video tape his escape by himself, but he must …
Watermelooza Schmooza
What a fun event. Everyone was so helpful, from Extreme Jumpers who provided the water slide, to Larry the HOA president of Westridge subdivision who hosted the event. We were able…
Tall meets small
FOX News posts this picture today of the World's tallest man in a meet and greet photo opt. You can read the story here . In all the bad news in the world it is good to see that we…
Watermelooza
This weekend is going to be a blast! On Saturday we will meet at the school at 9, to go over the Westridge community and pass out fliers for our kidZone and free watermelon event. …
A little about blogging
Below is the text of an email I sent out trying to explain how we use blogging. Hopefully it will give you some ideas on how to blog or read blogs. Blogs are a shortened name of "w…
Your house is on fire... NOT!
Not much time for blogging today, but thought you might enjoy this video of the police kicking in the door on the wrong house. LINK…
Too Late for Gardening
I told my kids that we would have to wait until after camp and vacation to plant a garden. They have been wanting to do something for years and now I will do my fatherly duties of …
Dealing with Departures
Today I will be preaching to a group of preachers. It is a bit intimidating for a young pastor to address such a audience, but God's Word will do all the teaching, all I have to do…
Pray for Pastor Bruce
We got a call this morning that Bruce Wanless, our pastor to senior adults broke his leg on a Harley. He had surgery this morning and he is recovering well. Be sure to lift him up …
Watermelooza Etc.
Here are some things we are working on for the rest of the summer 1. Conversations - Our new interactive message series where you the listener get to choose the topic. We will have…
Before tractors were born
My great-grandmother Nellie Burr died yesterday at the age of 102. For someone who has spent the last 8 years in a nursing home, Independence Day was an appropriate time to be free…
"I was having dinner with Karen in Moscow last night..."
So I wake up this morning with an email from Greg Nelson. He and his wife are on the vacation of their life time and while sitting in Moscow he is thinking about his ministry at Co…
Somebody's shooting!
Last evening the kids came running into the house yelling that someone was shooting. This led to a conversation about our freedom and fireworks. Abby (9) mentioned that she did not…
No Staff Meeting Today!
Tuesdays are our usual day for staff meeting and I canceled it for today. We meet religiously, well as religiously as a bunch of Baptists can, every Tuesday. In staff meeting we wi…
Sunday Spectators
Sunday was a great day at church with tons of vacationers. It is always neat to do church on the border of Disney and reality where the world comes to play. Yesterday two of the fa…
Evan All...Well maybe not so.
I did not see the movie, even though I am a HUGE fan of Steve Carrol in The Office. I just hate the fact that Hollywood thought that this would be something that Christians would l…
Bloggers Choice
So, July is a funky time around the corners. So many of you are on vacation that I refuse to teach a sermon series that will be disjointed and only half will hear. So here is the p…
thoughts on pastoral transition
I've not blogged much this week, and for that I am sorry. But I am working on a message for a pastor's meeting coming up and thought I would take one of the rabbit trails that I ho…
Sunday Reflections
What a great day! I won't go into too much detail, but it has been our best June yet. All of the numbers were good, but that is such a poor judge of what God is doing. The first se…
The beard debate, Vote Now!
Many of you have shared your feelings on my recent mid-ministry beard crisis. After two months on, should the beard stay? for those of you snow birds and family, I have included a …
Untitled
Should I keep the beard? Yes, if possible find a way to cover up more of your face No, it was a bad idea to begin with Keep it at least through your family reunion Once shaved alwa…
Junior Camp Report
We returned from Jr. camp yesterday and I have never slept so hard in my life. We had a great group of kids at camp this year and they really grew in their knowledge of God and wil…
Studies: Death Penalty Discourages Crime
Wow! Science once again confirms scripture. Maybe if we start following God's Word, then life would be better. Read the story here .…
Hello my name is Joel and it is my first time
While on vacation I attended my sister-in-law Michele's church in Athens GA. I was reminded of how terrible that it is visiting church for the first time. Now, don't take anything …
Don't Waste Your Cancer
I am finishing John Piper's book entitled "Don't Waste Your Life" It is a good read, not great, but good. I think it is one of those " sermon series transcript turned into book" bo…
Only in Florida...
The clash of the cultures continues... here . I wonder how one church can bring all the different ages and backgrounds together?…
Summer Camp
Today we are leaving to take our kids to camp. I will try to blog some photos and updates, but am unsure how far I will have to go for Internet. Maybe each morning I will have to d…
Goin' Home
Chris Daughtry has a great song that was used as the exit for this year's American Idol called "Goin' Home." In the song he states that after a while all these faces and places get…
Tubing
Today we tube! In a few hours the family will wake up and we will go down to the river to tube. If you've never tubed down a river, it is a whole lot like sitting on a tire for two…
Andrew's Birthday Golf
Andrew got a set of clubs for his birthday. Here we are at the driving range.…
6 Years Ago
6 years ago this week God rocked our world. Today is Andrew's birthday and his birth marks a monumental shift for our family. I guess the birth of any child can rock your world, Ab…
Random thoughts from Vacating Pastor
A working vacation - Ministry stops for no man (or woman). I am taking a break with the family, but still getting a few hours in every day. With camp coming next week, I will be ou…
Just for Fun
Ever imagined me as a 5 year old, not just acting like one? My sister emailed me this old photo today that I will share. That is me in the groovy pants.…
So I am on vacation and...
The Fam and I left after church yesterday for a few days visiting family. I am still trying to decide how much I want to vacate and how much I want to stay connected, so I blog to …
Kidnapped at Downtown Disney
FYI for all of you who frequent Downtown Disney. A couple was carjacked, robbed, and pistol whipped by three armed men. You can find the story here . I was reminded yesterday that …
Repentance
Acts 26:20 (NKJV) but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, …
Space Shuttle Launch
I almost drove to Titusville yesterday to see the space shuttle launch. I have never been that close and usually settle for going out in the yard. I have determined that the next t…
You are NOT going to believe this....
I am speechless so you will have to take Fox New's word for it here.…
America's Ugly Exported "Gospel"
Ernie Rischer , one of our snow-birds, is a member of John Piper's church. He is an awesome leader and this is a great rant against the health and wealth gospel that unfortunately …
Every Member a ...
This Sunday we will be talking about expectations at church and it has me thinking about what I expect out of the people of our church. As part of a church planting school that I a…
Holy Land Experience Under New Management
I have loved the fact that we have such an experience here in Orlando. If you have never been, then it is a must see. The difficulty for HLE is that it lacked return visitors. For …
Something Old, Something New
I was reading some C.S. Lewis yesterday and he made a very insightful statement about what we read. It is his opinion that we balance our reading by reading as much of the classic/…
Ramblings
I am so excited about what God is doing at Cornerstone. The past few weeks have been amazing as God is working both behind the scenes and on display. Sunday was a great day with th…
Sunday Super Star
Todays Super Star has to be Pastor Gabe. 1. He did a great job teaching the kids and leading them today. 2. He wore a tie. 3. He closed the service with a new song that he just wro…
Nursery Photos
Amy, Gabe and I spent a few hours setting up the new Children's Wing for our Grand Opening on Sunday. Let me tell you that the transformation was wild. I am so happy that we can of…
Grand Opening
This Sunday will be the grand opening of our new kidZone wing. Yesterday, all but one of the pieces fell into place as we will have all the equipment, carpet, security, and signs. …
What kind of Ice Cream is this?
It is summer time and the kids are out of school. Amy had them at the pool for 3 hours today and they had a blast. tonight after dinner she got them a cone of ice cream. After a fe…
Heckler or Helper
Have you ever gone to a ball game and sat next to a "Big Fan?" I mean the kind who is always yelling as if among the 30,000 other people, their voice would stand out. From time to …
Pray for our Open House
We have been going fast and furious as we prepare for our open house on this coming Sunday. The banners will be shipped today, we have the new nursery furniture, yard signs are on …
Why bad leaders end up in high places
I usually do not post other people's thoughts on my blog, but this is one that is a must read for you pastors and church planters. From Ben Arment... I came across this passage in …
Vitamins and Minerals
As many of you know I am a health nut.... okay, but I will be soon. I am presently building up to my next diet/exercise season. Yesterday afternoon we went to Wal-mart together and…
Developer Relaeses Posner Anchors
Amy is thrilled that the Posner Center at I-4 and US 27 will be anchored by a Super Target . Other Anchors include, Books-A-Million , JC Penny , and Ross . I am excited to have a S…
Hog Wild
Here is a story from Fox News about a Hog that was harvested by an 11 year old boy in Alabama last week. That is one big pig. FYI There are still lots of pigs in the Green Swamp an…
Should I keep the beard?
6 local pastors chime in on whether I should keep the beard or let it go.…
Youth Pictures from MGM
A couple of weeks ago our youth went to MGM. Here are some great pictures that Sissy Short took. Enjoy! Here is a link to the rest of the pictures.…
Pastors' view of meeting for prayer
I tell you guys about the amazing group of pastors that I meet with each wednesday. Today I took my video camera to get their views on why we as pastors need to gather to pray.…
Andrew's Graduation
Hey, I know everyone wants to see Andrew sing. Good for a few laughs, even some of his own!…
Scott Kirppayne wins American Idol Song Writing
Last night Scott Kirppayne, a Christian Singer/song writer won the song writing competition for American Idol. Scott is probably best known for his fun, upbeat "I'm not cool" song …
Video Team
What did you think about the video transition yesterday? It is just something we are playing with. Video is the most powerful medium available today to convey messages and we are c…
Another reason to Google
Okay, I know you people are worried that I have sold my soul to Google. Here is why, They have high quality products for free. Free is one of my favorite words. In the past year...…
Abby's Dance Recital
Here is the video of Abby's dance recital.…
Sermon Series Structure Strategy
Some of us had a discussion the other night and out of it I realized that most people who are "regulars" of CBC and you church planters who read this blog might benefit from pullin…
Communication
Communication is vital to any relationship. Especially church. In leading a relatively new work things can change at the drop of a hat. But the communication I refer to is more vis…
Save the Bunny
Have you done this yet? It took me three times to do the surgery in time. Click here to perform surgery on the bunny. For as silly as it is, you get to where you can't stop until y…
Jerry Falwell by Larry Flint
The Reverend Jerry Falwell exemplifies the essence of what we should be as believers living in this increasingly darkened world. Here is a statement about him that I found to be qu…
Set Up Commercial
I just uploaded our set up commercial to YouTube. Enjoy!…
God has my mind spinning
I am currently reading a number of books all at the same time. I don't know how it happened other than I was given two, one by a friend and another at a conference, one I had order…
In The Daily
Yesterday we launched a new study through the book of Ephesians on our devotional blog, "In the daily" You can find a link on the right sidebar. Our small group Bible Fellowship ta…
Happy Mother's Day
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Spiderman
Well I took the plunge. Amy and I fell and went to see the latest Spiderman movie. There was a lot of good scenes and a lot of akward scenes. Probable the most akward moment is at …
Mother's Day
I like Mother's Day. Most of the pseudo holiday's created by card companies I can do without, but my mom is so great that I love mother's day. My gift is a little late this year as…
Happy Mother's Day Dan
Every year, I wish Pastor Dan Jeffers at Park Street Baptist in St. Petersburg Happy Mother's Day. I don't want to forget that they are the ones who gave birth to Cornerstone. The …
Four Corners Gator Cook-Off
Several have asked why we chose not to set up a booth at this year's Four Corners Gator Cook-Off . I will mention it here, as an insight to who we are, but also as a bit of an edit…
Gimp
A little note for you photo manipulation types out there (you know who you are.) This week I have been test driving a new release of the Gimp program. It seems to do all that Photo…
Cornerstone Wear
A new internet store featuring CBC apparel is now open. You can buy everything from T-shirts to hats and refrigerator magnets, all sporting our cool church logo. All the proceeds w…
Nursery Catacombs Idea Flops
Here is a link to a great article from Lark News. For those of you praying and giving to our Tabernacle Project to improve our kidZone, you will appreciate the wisdom of our staff …
Monday Meeting Download
What a great day off. We went to Joe Murray's meeting today and heard two outstanding messages from Russell Johnson at IBB in Miami and Mike Stancil from Calvary Baptist in Taylorv…
Monday Meetings
Just to backstage you a bit. Today Gabe, Chuck Stephens, and I are going over to Church @ Harmony for a meeting with Joe Murray. He is our church planter on the other side of Kissi…
Heroes @ MGM
Some of my heroes went to MGM today. Just after the second service Seth and a team of 10 volunteers took the youth to MGM for the day. Seth and Robyn are doing a great job with our…
Tabernacle Sneak Preview
Our team has been working on some of the design for the Tabernacle Project and it is going to rock! Here is a sneak peak. We will have the full reveal for you on Mother's Day. Also…
Goodbye Bruce and Jacki
Today we say goodbye to Pastor Bruce. For those of you not from Cornerstone, Bruce is our Sr. Adults Pastor who works part of the year with us between October and May. They will be…
Children at Play / God at Work
Richard Baker began a study on the Tabernacle tonight and it is going to be great. I am really excited about this as we will be starting a new Tabernacle project of our own. Beginn…
Disney and the church...
I sat next to Gary Lamb , pastor of Ridge Stone Church last week at a blogger's round table at the National New Church Conference. His church is on fire and it was cool to meet him…
Devotional Blog
Last month I began chronicling my personal Bible time on a blog. {inthedaily} It was my goal for the month to read through the book of James 1 chapter a week, and every day boil it…
The Tabernacle Projct
Cornerstone began with a clear vision from God to provide a place of worship for the people of Four Corners. With US 27 and 192 in the cross hairs we set out to find a place of mee…
Easter Photos Part Deux
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Faith and Family Night at the Ghost Riders
We had a great time this afternoon at the Osceola Ghost Riders game. It was faith and family night and they had pastor Gabe sing the national anthem. As expected, Gabe was fantasti…
Dog owners 'fleeced' in poodle scam
I got this off of BoingBoing and I thought it would cheer your Friday. David Pescovitz: Thousands of Japanese people have apparently been scammed into buying "poodles" that are act…
Missional and Attractional are not Antonyms
One of the best things that I have learned this week at the Exponential conference is that exponential growth comes when we realize that missional is attractional . If we define mi…
Mission Guatemala
Hey All, I just got this note from Jerry Kinman, our church planting partner in Guatemala. Hello Joel! After 8 months in Guatemala, we are praising the Lord for His great blessings…
Blake Misses the Point
Imagine Blake Lewis getting kicked off Idol. After hearing his rendition of "Imagine" I am severely disappointed in his song choice no matter what Randy says. Since when is "imagin…
Idol Goes Inspirational
Have you heard the news? Tonight American Idol will have the top six contestants perform songs of hope and inspiration. U2's Bono will be the special guest coach, and I know it wil…
Praising Mantis
I saw this photo on Flickr and thought that this guy finally realized that prayer is more than heads bowed and eyes closed. Prayer includes hands raised with our eyes to heaven. Th…
National New Church Conference Day 1
What a long, but fulfilling day. I spent today volunteering with the guys from reproducing churches as we worked to help FBC Orlando host the National New Church Conference. 1800 P…
National New Church Conference
Today I will be over at FBC Orlando helping out as they host the National New Church Conference. There will be about 1,800 in attendance. There will be workshops and some great tea…
Sunday Shout Out
This Sunday's shout out has to go to Gabe Dunlap. After being called out half way through the second service he wrote a song about being emotionally ADD and played it as the offeri…
Please forget about the church service; really!
Here is an interesting quote from C.S. Lewis. Every service is a structure of acts and words through which we receive a sacrament or repent or supplicate or adore. And it enables u…
Easter Photos
As promised, here are some Easter photos.…
Easter Photos
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Meet the Robinsons
I took the kids to see the movie "Meet the Robinsons" last night. Amy had a school function and so the kids and I headed for Pleasure Island AMC to see the latest Disney offering. …
Video from 2nd Anniversary cookout
I was looking for something to post that you might enjoy and I came across this video back from our 2nd anniversary. I dusted it off and posted it here for your viewing pleasure. I…
And I thought I was Boycotting France...
Last week my 5 year old son caught me using his Bic 4 color pen. He said I could keep it....I was ecstatic. It has 4 colors in one pen. Brilliant! Despite my enthusiasm, I have own…
Mission Zamibia Report From Our Friend Wayne
I got this letter from Bruce Burress forwarded from his cousin Wayne. Last month while Wayne was visiting with us we prayed for him as he was leaving for a short term mission trip …
Please Pray for Bruce Clark
I am asking you to pause to pray for one of our members, Bruce Clark. Last week Dr.'s discovered an 11 cm cancer on his kidney. Today at 9:15 he has surgery to remove the tumor, an…
Revival in Afghanistan
BlackAnthem.com , a military news website has an interesting story about a recent revival at the Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. You can read the article here .…
April Mission Letter from Gene McKinnley
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 Dear Pastor and praying Friends: What a blessing it is to serve the Lord! Last month we ordered the pew coverings and they said it would be 14+ days. We n…
The Question Mark Kid
From the Orlando Sentinel ........ "During introductions on the first day of class last year, Cho Seung-Hui sat sullenly in the back of the room and refused to speak. On the sign-i…
Nasally's a form of singing
Watching American Idol last night, I almost fell out of my chair when Chris Richardson challenged Simon's criticism by actually defending his nasally sound. He said, to the one bef…
Welcome Home
We want every guest who attends Cornerstone to become actively involved on a weekly basis in the life of our church. We really want everyone to know our goals for involving them in…
Prayer response to the VA Tech shooting
They just announced that there are over 32 fatalities in the shootings today at VA Tech University. My heart is broken for the families and friends of the victims . We as a church …
Inside Out Umbrellas
In spite of tornado warnings we had a great day at Cornerstone this past Sunday. Just as the second service crowd was coming in the sky fell out. Inside out umbrellas, yellow wet f…
Holy Smoke
The heavens declare the glory of God, even in Disney World! A few weeks ago, I determined that I would find out who was writing about Jesus in the sky over Disney/ Four Corners. I …
Baby Sienna
Just a quick announcement for all you CBC people. I just got an email from Kelly Smy and Cristina (early service) had little Baby Sienna and both are doing great. She was 7 pounds …
Sensational Sunday
I am pumped about our new series at Cornerstone. Since we began Cornerstone we have seen many couple who struggle in their marriages. I a way, I guess we all do. Some of them were …
Tastes Like Chicken
Apparently that is what the Geico cavemen knew that we are just figuring out. According to Fox News and North Carolina State University, (Article here) the T-Rex is most closely ak…
Have Podcast Will Travel
I can't remember the last time I listened to broadcast radio. Since I got my iPod last year for my birthday, in which everyone chipped in, I am my own station manager. I recently b…
Of Marriage, Church & Mortgages
I got married in the summer of 1995. I guess if I had to answer the question of why, it was because I love my wife and I want to spend my life with her. Marriage was a good way to …
Do ya wanna come?
I grew up in a rules based circle. Not so much my home, but the church, and school, and the college I attended. At times I found myself on one side or the other of those rules. Som…
Untitled
Drifting, Surfing, Drowning and Sailing In Puddles, Swamps, Wells and Oceans Each week I receive the Monday Morning Memo. At this point they are not providing RSS so I will cut and…
Elk Lock Horns and Die
I ran across this picture from the Smithsonian. Apparently like humans, Elk tend to lock horns. They become territorial, take a position and stand their ground. Unfortunately, for …
Easter Sunday Music
Here is a link to the MP3's of this past Sunday's special music. I said it Sunday and I will say it again. Our Music is awesome. You can download them by right-clicking on the link…
The Masters' Master's Master
Did you watch the Masters golf tournament yesterday? If not, you may have missed the virtually unknown "Zach Johnson" tame Tiger Woods and win his green Jacket. What was awesome wa…
I have never seen the sun
I have never, in my life, seen the sun. No I am not blind, but every attempt I have made to look at the sun has been a failure. You see, each time I try, the light is so bright tha…
Easter Sunday
What an amazing day. After subtracting doubles we had 226 in attendance today in three services. Let me be the first to say that everything was awesome. It went so smooth that it w…
Behind the Scenes Pictures from Work Day
Here are some of our people making last minute improvements...…
Easter Saturday
Many times, we focus on His death, and on His resurrection, and leave out his burial. Today is the day we usually don't remember. In reality, it is a very significant day. In fact …
WhatNowGabe
Gabe Dunlap, our worship pastor has a great post here .…
Untitled
Well, well, the intelligent design folks have won. Evolution is finally going out of business. I guess we can stop making fun of Ray Comfort's banana video Steve. Photo snapped by …
Another Reason to Drink Coke
From BBC News.... Coke complaint delays Jesus film An Italian film which features Jesus drinking from a can of Coca-Cola will miss its Easter release date after the drinks giant co…
Great Quote from Seth
Here is a quote from Seth on shopping at Publix. "...the girl that was bagging proceeds to ask me if she could carry my groceries out to my car... Now I am not sure if she was call…
Easter Excitement
Last night we had an incredible time of praying for our Easter services. This year we will be having three services and two Egg hunts. No doubt that this will be an awesome day ful…
Church Planting In Harmony
Joe Murray, our church planter in Harmony writes... We celebrated our 2 year anniversary on Sunday, March 25th with 103 attending. Our service included testimonies, lasting for bet…
Mass Marketing
This week everyone is being bombarded by churches vying for the Easter crowd to come to their services. We know that Easter is the second most popular day for the non church goer t…
Father's Day Rolling Stones Style
Well Dads, we all want our kids to remember us and even to take a little bit of us into the future, but this is just nuts. Keith Richards, lead guitarist with the very handsome gro…
Prayerful Preparations for Easter
Tonight we will be having a special time of prayer to prepare our hearts for Easter. In preparation for our prayer meeting we have added the following starter ideas to our prayer l…
Church Planting & The Olive Tree
I found this and thought I would pass it on... Today you can travel to Greece and visit the site of the home and one of the early hospitals of Hippocrates. He is the inspiration of…
Four Corners on Fox News
Polk County Sherriff Grady Judd used a short term rental home in Four Corners to set up a sting operation for online predators. I am thankful that we have a proactive sherriff who …
On Pastor's Wives from Time Magazine
Time Magazine has an article on the difficulties of being a pastor's wife. Something this pastor needs to read, and I would bet, most pastors need to know. I for one know that with…
The Life of a Christ-Follower on American Idol
Chris Sligh has a new comment about being a Christ-Follower on American Idol. One of the interesting things to me about his comment is the part about the local church. God has give…
CBC Photo
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Worship Service Picture
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Sunday Synopsis
Today's services were great. I am still in preacher withdraw from not getting to speak today. But Michael brought it. We were all inspired, and I think we all want to go plant a ch…
Pics of Easter Past
I thought you might enjoy a look back at pics of Easter '06...…
The Five Love Languages
In 8 days it will be Easter Sunday. I am so pumped about what God can do through our church on Easter that I am almost looking past tomorrow. I was up at the wee hours of the morni…
Chris Sligh Opens Up
American Idol contestant Chris Sligh speaks about wanting to leave the show, Bob Jones University and his own future with the Greenville News. Story HERE .…
Survey Says....
Gabe has added a survey to our e-news page. Take the quiz.... here . I hope you pass.…
Still Growing
While working on our "Natural Church Development" process I had to do a little research on attendance averages for the last five years. What was neat is that every year since the b…
And thank You for Sundays...
Tonight Andrew prayed before dinner. Among other things he thanked God for Sundays. That does my heart good in several ways. One, as a pastor, my son thinks church is great. I am s…
Outback Upfront
"What will you do if you are not approved by the Missions Organization and if none of these churches support you?" That was the question that I asked Michael Nelson two years ago a…
We'll See
Growing up, We'll see usually meant no. Mom and dad used the term because life is so uncertain that what initially sounds good, does not always come about. I now find myself using …
Sanjaya Malakar
If you don't Sanjaya, I understand. Master Malakar is the unfortunate contestant on American Idol, who in spite of his consistent, humiliating, performances, which shows that he is…
Thank's for Goliath
I wonder if David ever thanked God for Goliath. I wonder if he thanked God for Saul's javelin, or for the cave of Adullam. I am sure that David prayed about Goliath as he gathered …
Don't Quit Your Day Job
My good buddy Mark over at Ephesus has a great post that every potential church planter should read. You can find it here. We must change how we define church, back to the biblical…
Bass Photo
Here is a picture of two of our fish. It took some time but Andrew got pretty good at casting his little zebco reel. Mike and I were able to fish on a 15' boat with a 5 year old wi…
Gone Fishin'
Today Andrew and I will be going fishin with his Uncle Mike. Uncle Mike has a bass boat and a friend with a private lake and one of those sonar thingamabobs. Last time we went, I w…
Happy 65 Bruce
Bruce, you are awesome! God has truly blessed our church by your ministry and we look forward to the next 65. I pray that God will give you a prosperous year of ministry both here …
Sunday Synopsis
Wow what a day. The worship was awesome, Great job Gabe and Praise Team, both services had a great spirit of anticipation and the music was tremendous. We had a full room for both …
Props to my Boy Benj
Today, I will be able to sit in on the ordination council for one of the guys who was in my youth group. Ben and I shared so many good times. From the down load on a Saturday morni…
Twas the night before Sunday
Twas the night before Sunday 'n one thing's for certain, Not a paper was printing not even the bulletin. The lessons were written on the hard drive with care, in hopes that the pri…
Natural Law of Reproduction
In Genesis 11:11,12 God gives us a bit of natural law. Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to…
4 Christian Idols
American Idol touts four professing believers. I have to say that this is a surprise to me, but it really should not have been. This season has offered some great contestants. Acco…
Godtube.com
Did you know that there is a new YouTube for Christians. It is still in Beta but is up and running here . It will most likely be filled up by churches who produce inhouse commercia…
Easter Insomnia
I am so excited about what God is doing at Cornerstone that I can hardly sleep. I am not kidding, for the past few weeks I have been up around 4, just planning and working towards …
Speaking at Sonshine
Today, I am heading to Port Charlotte to speak to the Sonshine Baptist Church about the importance of church planting. My goal is to challenge them to view thebarrenness among chur…
Church Planting in Knoxville or Bust
The other day I was able to sit down with Chris Sliger who is going to West Knoxville TN to plant a church. In our conversation he asked a few questions that I thought I would shar…
New Park in Four Corners
Polk County is in the process of purchasing 81 acres just about 1 mile South of US 192 along 27 for a new park. We have been going for so long without a park that we will not know …
Evangelism @ Work
This Sunday we will be talking about personal evangelism. God has called every believer to share their faith with the WORLD. Most of us struggle, with the mechanics, and have been …
Land Acquisition Team Meeting
Last night we met with Sean Fullerton, our real estate guru. He has been on the wholesale side of some of the largest developments in Four Corners such as Champions Gate and Reunio…
New School in Four Corners
Lake County is building a new elementary school which will be 3 miles north of US 192 in the Sawgrass Development. As there is a great need for more schools, more everything, now t…
Small Group
"We talked it over and when we get back home, we are getting involved in a small group at our church." I had lunch with a snowbird who was doing the last minute pre-flight check be…
American Idol
American Idol, is without question the hottest show on TV, they are bullying their way to take up the prime time slot 2 to 3 times a week. My vote, if I took time to call, is for C…
Anadara
Wow! This past Sunday we were able to have the brand new recording artist Anadara with us for a concert of praise. Her music is deeply spiritual as well as inspiring. She happened …
BOOMER
Last Sunday night Gabe and I had a chance to go to a new church start in Lakeland called Gravity. The "Vision Pastor" is a young guy named Boomer , and he has a neat thing going in…
Reproducing Churches Network
Reproducing churches is a network of pastors/planters who are highly motivated to see churches started along the I-4 corridor. The premise is that we will work together for prayer,…
From Bogging to Blogging
It is official, after 6 months off it is time to reinvent the blog. Our first attempt at blogging became a bit of more of a bog as the site lacked direction and focus. It is our go…